The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-05-12
BELLE OF BAR HARBOR.

The canoe club was to give reception
and review of the boats. By telegram
and letter had been summoned to Mount
Desert to take part in the solemn rites OF
the occasion. The telegram was from the
admiral, announcing that [ had been
elected a member and must show up
Now, had never even heard there was
such club in existence, and probably few
men are more childlike in their ignorance
OF the paddle The letter was from
young lady knew well, whose name ]
had been panied to see mentioned in a
newspaper as the ''Belle of Bar Harbor. :"
If there is being loathe it is belle
What rudeness have 1 not suffered from
the pert, intolerable little girls whose
heads have been turned by that word
What inanities have not been forced to
smile at because long hair and a pretty
nose-Or trunI full of Worth dreSses-or
a claque of female relatives, have started
the fashion of calling an otherwise harm
less young woman belief
/ knew this belle before, however, and
never found her dull. She was speci-
men of the rich complexioned women of
Mobile, languid on the surface but full of
energy when aroused. After all, said to
myself, as I weighed her letter in my
hand, she has done nothing to warrant
the vulgar appellation, that I'll be bound;
only, no matter how it may be hidden, the
Mobile rose cannot stif1e its perfume She
has been dubbed belle in spite OF herself
Then, looking at the warm words and the
imperative orders that were couched in
her peculiar long slanting characters, l
felt it would not be in human nature to
disobey.
Bar Harbor was just the samoa ma
ture beautiful, solemn and marvellous In
the act of being cheapened and degraded
by mob of townlings. The buckboards
were toiling up the steep hills, yachts
were coming AID going in the harbor, all
the sophomoreS from college in North
America were escorting misses and
missuses up and down the board walks or
talking nonsense in groups on the broad
piazzas Of the most hideouS of hotels.
Surveying these with the jaundiced eyes
of one who could not join in the game
save for the briefest time, one more or
less in love, I may as well confess, but
who knew far too much to trust greatly
to encouragementS that ought to have
meant everything, l was aware of Idita at
the top of a long flight of steps talking to
three boys and man and managing to
halloo to a fourth, who was hurrying
down the street 1t looked very much
like belle, / thought, but, signing, I
raised a sad hand of greeting all the
same. Idita saw me, and, like Camilla,
SKINNED downward over the unbending
steps as if she meant to fling herself into
my arms.
''Glad, so glad you're herer' she painted
''Almost gave you up. Those three won't
believe I'm engaged for the canoe review,
and that man you passed has gone to pre-
pare his boat for me. So you see you are
just in time'
"But,' said I, cit strikes me that find
you-a bellel and bad case of BELIEF
"No more nonsenseI Your canoe, our
canoe, is all prepared and I have only half
an hour TO dress. -
It was 10 in the morning, and / sur
veyed her pretty costume with raised
brows.
"Oh, this won't do. Now, don't be
silly. Get into your rowing fannels and
meet pe just herer' And away she few
into the hotel with an audacious word or
two right and left at her boyish admirers.
Among them was one who looked very
hard at me, thought, and puzzled my
brains to recall him. A very blonde head,
blue eyes, q look of a much older man
when you examined him, thin legs, well
developed shoulders, a chin in the air and
the back of the head considerably behind
his heels-there he is, a funny mixture of
strut and depreciation, of candor and in
sincerity. But his glance was sincere, if l
knew anything-sincere in not liking me.
Why not me? Of course, the obvious thing
was that he was in love with Idita. But,
grumbled to myself, how is it that Idita
who is nice enough to warrant me in
well, in being very much attached to her,
can support about her such wretched little
idiots as this? That was what l could not
understand, and gave the question up as
insoluble.
Walking to the meet ventured to put
1t to Idita as gently as possible, at the |
same time that begged that she would |
be equally candid. She certainly looked |
beautiful in the little Tam o. |
Shanter, with tassel of yellow silk, and |
the white flannel dress embroidered in the
same manner. The coquettel She had |
the prettiest yellow Chinese clogs on her |
feet, and did not mind bit rolling about |
a little on their small, rounded soles.
''Fact is, my dear boy, at place like
Bar Harbor it positively won't do for a
girl to be seen without somebody talking
to her. The mothers keep count and tell
each other whether Kitty, Lucy, Maria
has three men with her or one, or none;
and somehow the conso1ing words adj
dressed to the mother whose daughter is
seen alone do not carry with them the
comforts Of Christian consolation. Now,
that young man of whom you speak so
is full of merit. He is
to begin with, and sends me
lovely flowers. Then he knows every
body. Then he has tongue tipped with
poison, and everybody fears it. Besides,
ne is man of infinite taste-he admires
neI''
More than he does me-" said 1.
''You don't say soi'' cried Idita, whose
animation at Bar Harbor came to me as q
surprise, for in town she was rather Ian
guild / attributed it to the bracin9
climate. docs it work already? Now.
sn't that nice of him to come to time at
,nce?''
''See here said l, a little savageIy, and
stopped to face her, shave you summoned
ne 20 this goose farm to play me off
lgainst that little gander7''
e'Oh, you suspicious boyp' she answered,
folding out her hand. 'fThere, forgive
Tou; kiss il and return to your collar.
FOR you are, remember, no less my slave
lere than you were last winter in town,
nd what I say must be done. Hear, obey,
md it viii be well for you.'
s'Pshawl How long are You going to
-eep this up? Am l to see anything of
'ou. or are the Tommy Moores and other
things going 20 surround you In order that
your mother shall be spared the remarks
Of her elderly friendss''
ld1ta walked ON faster and threw me